Any Runners/Joggers?

[Dnye23]

I just started running at the beginning of December 2010, and just did my first 5K on New Year's Eve at State Fair Park. I'm also doing one at the end of January in Franklin. I'm looking to do the Sausage 5K and that new Milwaukee 10K run on the last day of Summerfest. My ultimate goal is to do a marathon run but I have a long ways to go before I'm ready for it.

 

Just curious to know if any of you do recreational running or races? How long have you been running? What equipment/apparel do you use? Any injuries/treatments? Anything else you want to share about your experiences?

[jobrew]

Congrats on getting into running. I've been running fun runs and longer races for about 10 years now. My favorite run is Crazy Legs in Madison. It is run through the campus and ends on the 50 yard line at Camp Randall. The race is 5 miles and usually is the last weekend in April. I also competed in the mens health urbanathalon in Chicago this last October. What a blast. 10 miles with some ridiculous obstacles mixed in the course (1 mile of the run was running stairs at soldier field). Check out the website for the course description.

 

 

 

I have bad knees and have always had trouble with shoes. In May I started using the nike free v.3. It is considered a barefoot style running shoe and is the greatest thing I have invested in. I can run longer and more comfortably than ever before and have noticed that my ankles are stronger than they used to be. It took a couple weeks of running with them to get used to the feel but now I can't run in normal shoes.

They sell them in v. 3, 5, 7 with the 3 being the closest to barefoot and each level adding more support as you go up.

I have a pair of the 5's but they aren't as comfortable to me as the 3's.

Hope this helps.

[1992casey]

For reference, here's a recent barefoot running topic:

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/viewtopic.php?t=22035

[owbc]

Congrats on running a 5K! Running is truly an awesome sport because it is great for your fitness and almost anyone can participate.

 

I ran on and off in high school but I have been running seriously for about 5 years now. I'm still working toward that elusive marathon but I am planning on doing one in 2 months if all goes well. I've done Crazylegs the last 3 years and the Madison half-marathon the past 2 years. I agree that Crazylegs is by far the best race ever. I currently am running 20-30 miles per week in preparation for the Miami half-marathon in 4 weeks.

 

From my experience, injuries are most likely to derail your running experience and you have a >50% chance of getting one in any given year. If you feel that something is not right, stop immediately. Do not try to run through it. You will seriously regret it. Secondly, you will find all kinds of different advice on injury prevention, but I have found that if you get injured, you are probably doing something wrong. I tried a number of things, including getting more expensive shoes, doing extensive core and strength training, and additional stretching. However, it was not until I attempted minimalist/barefoot running that my injury problems went away (see other thread and this link).

 

As for equipment, I have 2 different shoes that I use, a pair of Vibram 5-fingers and a pair of Nike Free 5.0. I use the Vibrams for short runs and to practice a natural running form. I do not use them all the time because it is difficult to run faster than a 9:00/mile pace and my feet are not strong enough to handle them yet. The Nike Frees are good shoes but I do not think I would buy another pair because there are now a number of better lightweight running shoes available.

 

My other piece of advice is to not follow those running schedules too closely for training for a marathon or 10K or whatever. I like to run whatever my body feels like running that day. Sometimes it is less than planned and sometimes it is more. Running is supposed to be fun and if you are tired or sore or sick or just don't feel like it, then take the day off and make it up on a good day.

[Beerambassador]

I took it up last spring at the recommendation of my doctor to help me lose some stubborn weight. I couldn't believe the effect it had on my weight....excess pounds just melted away. The first few weeks SUCKED, but I kept telling myself I was doing it for my wife and kids and that got me through it. Now I do it for me because I love it.

 

My running's really fallen off in the winter, I usually only get out 2-3 times a week in the winter and only for a half-hour at a time. My leg muscles just get too cold, it's slippery, lungs get tired easy from all that cold air...I just hate winter running. But by early fall I was running 4-5 times a week for up to an hour at a time. I was thinking of doing a half-marathon this spring, but just don't see myself getting out enough in the winter to really be ready for it come May. But that kind of gives you an idea of how quickly I got into it.

 

I haven't done any races yet, but I'm excited to do the Crazy Legs this spring (especially after hearing you guys say how cool it is). I'm also planning on doing the Bellin 10K in Green Bay and I'm genuinely torn on the Cellcom Half Marathon also in GB.

 

I've been lucky injury-wise so far. I've had some stiffness in my hamstring and that's really about it. Still kind of dealing with it, and I don't run if it's bothering me.

 

I have some Nike Lunarglide shoes that I really like. They're light and kind of a neutral shoe that Nike says works for most kinds of feet. I also love Runkeeper, which is an app for Iphone/Android. It uses GPS to track your run and continually updates your distance/speed/pace/calories burned. It was IMMENSELY helpful especially early on when it helped me set a target pace and keep it. I kind of feel lost running without it.

[Patrick425]

Wow, Drick! You just took up running in early December and ran your first 5K less than a month later?! Congrats. All I have say is A) you must be younger and B) you must not mind cold weather. I would never run in that kind of weather. I absolutely hate Winter.

I joined a health club a little over 2 months ago. I have been going 4 times a week and I have begun running on a treadmill about a month ago. I'm 44 and this is the first time I have worked out since high school when I was in track. I have run occasionally with my son around the neighborhood, but never much more than a mile (and that killed me!). I would like to run some 5Ks this summer.

However, just like what always happened to me in HS, I'm experiencing shin splints. When I was in HS, I just ran through them and they eventually went away. I usually just got them when we were doing our warm up jog before practice. Same thing at the gym. My shins really bother me for the first 1/3 or 1/2 mile, but then they go away. It seems the slower I run, the more they bother me (I generally start my runs with a light jog and then do intervals of 70-80% sprinting). I think when I jog slow I tend to be more heavy footed. Everything I have read states that if you experience shin splints you should not run for a while.However, I know this would not matter for me. I know I could not run for 6 months and I would still get shin splints on my first run after that. It's just something I have always battled when trying to run. I have an appointment for a free injury evaluation at Aurora Sports Medicine in a couple weeks. So, we'll see what they say.

I would be intersted in hearing if anyone else has had experiences with shin splints.

edit: By the way, I don't think I could ever run bare foot. I don't even like walking bare foot.

[owbc]

Patrick, I hate shin splints and they bothered me for a long time. I quit running track in high school because I ran through the pain and ultimately got a stress fracture. I had them on and off for the last 2-3 years. They always seemed to get especially bad when I started adding miles--which was usually after recovering from the previous shin splint episode. I am fairly sure that they are caused by landing on your heels when you run. It creates too strong of an impact which eventually causes inflammation.

 

I did learn to mitigate shin splints by doing stretches and long warm ups before I ran. Any type of lower leg/calf exercise seems to help. However, they still never went completely away, even though I was using a $130 pair of super-padded running shoes. As you have noticed, they do not hurt as much when you are warm, so you can do like 15 minutes of a different cardio activity before running and then ice them for 15 minutes after you are done to reduce the swelling. If you stay under 15 miles/week, that will probably be enough to keep them under control.

 

Since I have switched to a mid-food/front-foot running stride 4+ months ago, I have had no problems with shin splints. I think it is worth the effort to mess around with your stride to see if you have better results. It does not have to involve barefoot running at all, although the idea is to develop a stride that is closer to a natural barefoot stride. It feels very awkward at first, just like making changes to a golf swing or any other physical habit. It can also be harsh on your calf muscles. The best way to start is simply to shorten your stride. Make sure you are landing underneath your hips and not in front of your body. Your arms should swing naturally and the form should be loose, not forced. Your steps should be quiet and soft. If you are doing it right, your upper body should remain relatively calm and you should be able to focus on a target in the distance without bouncing around.

 

I hope that helps. I can not say for sure that mine are gone for good, but I am back to doing 90% of my running in shoes and am still not having any problems.

[Blindcheck]

I completed a Triathlon last July...Sprint distance with 500 meter swim, 20Km Bike and 5 KM run.

 

A year before to the day, I started training and was only able to jog/run about 2 city blocks which took me about 48 seconds....

 

To get myself in cardio shape, I invested in the Insanity program from beach body...and it incredible in how much it helped me get ready to run...(i had not run at all in 6 months last may, due to winter and not wanting to pressure my knees) and I went out and ran 10KM in one hour without stopping....

 

I was training for a olympic distance triathlong which is 1500 meters swim, 40 km bike and 10 KM run...and it was shortened the day of the race due to weather....

 

I am already trying to get myself back into triathlon shape as i plan to run one in late May and then run the new Hy-Vee 5150 ironman triathlon on Labor day.

[Patrick425]

If you stay under 15 miles/week, that will probably be enough to keep them under control.

 

Ha! Yeah...that's not going to be a problem at all.

 

Thanks for the advice owb. Someone else that I know that is a runner kind of mentions something similar about not landing on your heal. That would be a really rough transition for me. I'm not tall, but I just feel much more comfortable and loose when I take longer strides. I'm guessing the Sports Medicine place is going to tell me the same thing. I'm having a hard enough time just getting back into running after 25+ years...now I have to think about and change the way I naturally run? Yuck...it's enough to make me just stick to elliptical devices.

[Dnye23]

Appreciate the feedback!

 

I'm 26, 5'8" 180 lbs. so I am still young. Looking back on my high school years, I wish I would have gotten into track or CC. Instead I was a soccer defenseman that occasionally smoked. And yes I like running in the cold, although I hate some of my neighborhood that don't clean off their sidewalks. I always prefer to run at Greenfield Park (closest to my house) or somewhere on the Oak Leaf Trail. My first 5K went very well too, I finished at 26:49, a pace of less than 9 minutes a mile. I'm never that fast when I'm by myself. I think running with a crowd and the fact that it was an official race gave me extra motivation to push myself.

 

Which leads me into my injury. Even before that race, I've been having some pain on the outside of my knee. I've looked online about it and found that it could be a strained IT band. It's nothing serious but I am taking it easy this month or until I don't feel the pain anymore. Been doing the RICE treatment (rest, ice, compression, and elevation).

 

I have heard good reviews about those barefoot shoes. I currently have a pair of Adidas Bounce. I might have try a barefoot shoe to see how they feel. I also use iMapMyRun app that does GPS tracking, distance, speed, time. I keep track of every run I do on MapMyRun.com, very useful tool.

[Beerambassador]

I also use iMapMyRun app that does GPS tracking, distance, speed, time. I keep track of every run I do on MapMyRun.com, very useful tool.

I know I mentioned it before in this thread, but try Runkeeper. My wife tried MapMyRun, she really didn't like it. RunkeeperPro is free right now for a week or so. I'd at least try it, it's kind of the gold standard, but if MapMyRun works better for you then stick with it.

[owbc]

I'm a big fan of gmaps pedometer. I keep track of my miles in an excel spreadsheet.

 

Drick23--that really sounds like ITBS. That's another really common running injury. It sounds like you are doing the right thing and taking it easy. A personal trainer also recommended using a foam roller to help loosen out my IT band. It hasn't recurred since I started using the foam roller and I still foam roll 2 years later due to fear of it coming back. It took me about 6 weeks to recover from ITBS--start really slow when you pick up running again and stop immediately if you feel any pain or discomfort at all.

[GAME05]

we're getting in a new version of Suunto watch at my work that's designed for runners. keeps track of mileage and HR, and when you enter in your personal workout plan, the watch beeps when your heartrate gets below a certain bpm.

 

i'm not a runner, but like to do long- and short-distance hiking. i'm about to get the new Merrell Trail Glove barefoot shoe that i'm real excited about. it won shoe of the year from Runners World, if i'm not mistaken. and from the reviews i've read, they hold up better on long-distance days. i have an issue with my right foot where i don't get a roll from heel to toe, and instead the ball of my foot just slams down hard on the ground after my heel initially strikes. even on short hikes, this makes the ball of my foot hurt quite a bit (you can imagine the discomfort on my AT thru-hike, then). so i'm getting these barefoot trail runners in hopes that by staying on the ball of me feet the whole time, that my foot will hurt quite a bit less. and since they look like regular running shoes, i won't feel embarrassed to walk to the grocery store in them like i would be in those Five Finger shoes.

[Cdiddy34]

hey.. i used to weigh 240lbs.. started running (and changed my lifestyle) and now i'm constantly in the 170 range. i used to be sore for 2 days after a 2 mile run but have run 3 halves and 2 fulls. i'm planning on at least 2 more fulls this spring/early summer.

 

my experiences: shoes are very important, make sure they are big enough that if you run a long distance and your feet expand they aren't pushing against the shoe. wear any wicking material you can find. i'm an underarmor snob and wear drifit tight stuff and have never had any nipple problems (as opposed to a cotton t-shirt which nearly caused bleeding early in my running adventures)

 

i also endorse any tight boxer/spandex material you can find instead of boxers or a loose fitting running boxer. the loose fitting stuff rubs the hell out of my legs and that's very unpleasant. aquaphor is a great friend for really hot days/long runs.

 

stretch. stretch.. buy a foam roller and stretch, especially if you have IT band problems. mine kill me also and i'm still brutal at getting them stretched and rolled out. an area i have to improve. i also have to improve my core/shoulders for running economy.

 

i enjoy cytomax after my runs as a recovery drink and gu on my longer runs for the instant energy jolt. also use sportbeans on occasion.

 

congrats on starting to run, it's an addiction that we can all enjoy.

[PeaveyFury]

Anybody have any suggestions for a cheap-ish (ie, less than $100) pedometer/timer? I'm not looking for anything super-fancy like micoach, but just looking for a way to track my distance/pacing.

[Beerambassador]

If you have a smart phone there's a ton of free apps that do that.

[cwolf2012]

I'm amazed that you guys can just go out and run for the sake of running. I know most of you have a goal in mind (marathon, what have you), but the act of running is very difficult for me. I need some sort of direct competition or winning incentive. Props to you all.

 

EDIT: For example, I could play hockey or racquetball every night. Maybe I just haven't given running enough chance.

[Paulus88]

I was like that too. In school I could play hoops or a sport all day but would get bored and tire if it was just running. Once those opportunities for regular sport dried up I tried running, very light and short at first but everyday. Now it's no big thing to go on longer runs and truth be told I'm in better shape then when I played ball all the time. I probably still don't "like" running but I can appreciate it. (it does get easier if you have a goal in mind) also +1 for Crazylegs.

[GAME05]

i ran about 10 miles a day in college and ran with a buddy. i never quite got there, but he got in good enough shape that he was able to keep up a conversation the whole way. that definitely helped keep things interesting. we'd also take turns picking new routes that we'd run for a week before trying something new, which kept things new, also.

 

i'm a competitive person even exercising by myself, so i was always interested in beating an old time or distance.

 

sorry about being confusing in my last post, Cdiddy. i'd meant to say i was into long-distance hiking now, not running.

[Dnye23]

Just checking to see if there are other runners, what your experiences have been.

 

I'm now 8 months into running. Since I've started, I'm about 15 miles away from the 200 mark. I got over my IT band issue, runner's knee, then got shin splints every time I ran. I went for a free consultation with a Physical Therapist, and he recommended I go to a stiffer shoe than what I had. He recommended the Asics GT-2150 so I bought them and it seemed like that's when I started having the shin splint problem. After a few months and time off, I went back to him. He gave me some exercises that I think have helped but I still had the pain. Took some more time off, went back to my old shoes (Adidas Bounce) and haven't had any pain since. I think I need that cushion in the heel, which goes against what I've read about shin splints. I'll give the 2150 another shot after my upcoming races. I doing the Firecracker Four (4 mile, 4th of July) in Hales Corners, then a 10K at the Summerfest Rock n' Sole Run. I was really shooting to be ready for the half marathon, but with the shin splint problems I had and the time off, I don't have enough training for it. I know I can complete a half marathon right now, but not in the time I want which is around 2:00:00.

 

Anyone doing the Sausage 5K at Miller Park the July 30th? I didn't realize it would sell out so quickly with 3,000 entries.

[jobrew]

Hey Drick I'm running the firecracker in Hales corners as well. My wife grew up there so it's a yearly ritual for us. We have a big group who run in honor of my father in law. We all wear shirts with team Leonard on the back.

I still swear by the nike free shoes and don't think I could ever run in normal shoes again.

Glad to hear you kept running and good luck on Monday.

[twobrewers]

I'm now 8 months into running. Since I've started, I'm about 15 miles away from the 200 mark. I got over my IT band issue, runner's knee, then got shin splints every time I ran.

Years ago, when I first started really adding miles to run a marathon I would hurt in many different areas. I remember times when I could barely walk down hill after a long run.

 

It almost seems like your body just adjusts to take on the miles after awhile and now the idea of having knee pain, shin splits or a side ache seems almost comical. Everything I've ever had "hurt" from running - eventually stopped on it's own.

 

Now I run a half marathon and head out to play soccer afterwards.

 

As a side note, I hate how expensive races are. I run 13.1 miles every Saturday - but never sign up for half marathons because of the expense. I just can't justify paying $50 bucks when I can do it for free on my own.

[owbc]

I'm now 8 months into running. Since I've started, I'm about 15 miles away from the 200 mark. I got over my IT band issue, runner's knee, then got shin splints every time I ran. I went for a free consultation with a Physical Therapist, and he recommended I go to a stiffer shoe than what I had. He recommended the Asics GT-2150 so I bought them and it seemed like that's when I started having the shin splint problem. After a few months and time off, I went back to him. He gave me some exercises that I think have helped but I still had the pain. Took some more time off, went back to my old shoes (Adidas Bounce) and haven't had any pain since. I think I need that cushion in the heel, which goes against what I've read about shin splints.

Congrats on maintaining running for 8 months and dealing with all those injuries. If you have a pair of shoes that is working, don't mess with it. If you are landing on your heels it is essential that you have at least some padding.

 

As for myself, 2011 has been my best year ever for running. I just surpassed 550 miles, right on pace for my goal of 1,000. No major injury problems at all, half-marathon PR and finished my first marathon in May. My emphasis on form is the reason for my success. I have found that running is like any other sport, you have to practice your form and if you are going to push yourself beyond a certain threshold you have to place minimum pressure on your feet/legs/joints. I continue to train once/week with my Vibrams to emphasize landing properly and if I feel my legs starting to hurt I know that I am doing something wrong. When things are going right I can mow through a 13-15 mile run and be fine enough to do another 6-8 the next day. I could never have done that without fixing my form or in the ridiculously heavy $130+ shoes that I used to have.

 

My latest mission has been to figure out how to run in the hot/humid Florida summer. It isn't easy but I can now handle a heat index of up to 90-95 if I carry a water belt and use gels/electrolyte tablets on runs over 10 miles. It does cost me about 45 seconds/mile as opposed to ideal conditions. Will do some more races next year, my wife says I can try an ultramarathon (50k) if I finish 3 marathons. I think that will be easier than qualifying for Boston, which now requires a ridiculous 3:05 marathon.

[Ando Calrissian]

Played sports for years, but didn't pick up running as a specific discipline until last April in an effort to get back in shape. Was so tired of not living like I wanted to. Anyway, it's been a great year + of running (down 60+ lbs.) and I'm currently training for the Lakefront Marathon on 10/2. Put down 16 miles on Saturday for the first time ever; my lungs felt good, but my legs were pretty trashed at the end. Just figure my body is going to have to get used to those longer distances.

My persoanl aim for the marathon is not about setting any kind of land speed record, but to enjoy myself so much that I want to do it again as soon as possible.

In addition to completing the marathon, I really want to start adding trail running into my workouts.

[GAME05]

you guys are awesome.